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Local News for Monday 15th April 2019

WEST SIDE DEVELOPMENT SET TO START SOON

Bragar and Arnol Community Trust has announced that O' Mac Construction Ltd will be undertaking the redevelopment of the former Bragar School on the West side of Lewis, which will see the creation of enhanced community facilities for events and meetings, along with a hostel, an àite cèilidh café and a launderette. Work is expected to begin in May with completion due in early summer 2020The project will be managed by Tighean Innse Gall (T.I.G) on behalf of Bragar and Arnol Community Trust. The project has received support from many organisations including the National Lottery Community Fund, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, HIE, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Western Isles Development Trust, and also the Aspiring Communities Fund supported by the Scottish Government and European Social Fund. Catriona Campbell, Chair of Bragar and Arnol Community Trust, said: ‘We are delighted to have reached the point where work is about to begin on what will be a new chapter for the building and for the communities of Bragar and Arnol.’

To celebrate the start of the project, Bragar and Arnol Community Trust will be staging special community events at Grinneabhat on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th April which will include a cèilidh featuring talented musicians and singers from the local area. Those attending will also get the opportunity to meet with representatives from T.I.G. and project architects Whyte and McGinn, to get an insight into the work involved in the refurbishment.

HEBCELT DATE FOR TOP OF THE CLASS FORMER STUDENTS

Two former music students who are now performing on the international stage have secured a coveted slot at the Hebridean Celtic Festival this summer.Jamie MacDonald and Christian Gamauf will join the likes of KT Tunstall, Tide Lines and The Shires in the HebCelt line-up after winning a competition for young talent organised by the festival and Lews Castle College UHI, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands.The competition was open to any performer or band which included members who are studying, or who have studied, on one of the college’s music programmes.Fiddler Jamie, from Tiree, and piper Christian, from Loipersbach in rural Austria, are BA Applied Music degree graduates. They met six years ago while studying in Benbecula and began playing together at local concerts.Christian said: “We are really delighted to have won the competition and perform at HebCelt this year. It's a fantastic opportunity for us to come back to the Outer Hebrides and we are looking forward to representing Lews Castle College UHI and the BA Applied Music.“We haven't been to HebCelt before, but we've heard lots of great things about it. Jamie is also playing with his other band Eabhal, and we can't wait to play at this festival in such amazing surroundings.” More information can be found on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HebCelt